AA Rankings for 1/6/13
Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2013 9:59 am
It is a new year, has already been plenty of excitement; most teams have reached the halfway points in their regular season schedules, the Vikings reverted to form, and the NHL has decided it still wants to exist. Here are your AA rankings:
1. Hill-Murray (11-1-1)
-It may be a messy set of rankings, and though the Pioneers are not a dominant #1, they are a very clear #1. They continue to do just enough, as was the case in this week’s overtime win over a depleted Edina team, and there is a lot to be said for steadiness. If there’s a shortcoming, it might be on defense; all of their defensemen are solid, but none of them seem to offer the offensive threat of someone like Blake Heinrich, their leader on the blue line last season. Their game with Wayzata this Saturday will be their last game against a top ten AA opponent this season.
This week: Tues vs. Mahtomedi, Sat at #4 Wayzata
2. Edina (11-3)
-#2 is not an easy spot to fill this week. I went with the Hornets for a few reasons: they’ve played a tough schedule, and their losses were all against very good teams. They did manage an important section win over Burnsville, and considering the players they were missing, there isn’t much shame in the Hill loss, either. Still, there are cracks in the walls. This team really needs to rediscover its offensive swagger; nine goals in the past five games is far too few for a team with this much talent. After Tuesday’s game, they have another fairly long stretch without a game.
This week: Tues at White Bear Lake
3. Benilde-St. Margaret’s (9-3)
-The Red Knights bounced back from the ugly loss to Wayzata last week with a solid win over the Trojans, restoring some order for the preseason favorites in 6AA. The defensive effort in particular was much stronger; now, the question is whether they can keep that going. We’ll find out in a hurry, as they play two huge games this week, one of which has major implications in the section.
This week: Thurs at St. Thomas Academy, Sat vs. #7 Minnetonka
4. Wayzata (11-2)
-Couldn’t back up the first win over Benilde, and since neither game was all that close, I decided to give more weight to the more recent win and slide the Red Knights back ahead of Wayzata. Harsh, perhaps, but aside from that one Benilde game, they aren’t winning in nearly as convincing a manner as some of the other top teams. They could easily change my opinion with a big week, as they face two more tests against top ten teams.
This week: Thurs vs. #10 Burnsville, Sat vs. #1 Hill-Murray
5. Duluth East (8-3)
-The Hounds rolled to two more authoritative wins over strong AA teams, presenting us with this week’s ranking dilemma: how high do you go with a team that has been on fire lately? I think this spot accurately reflects the momentum they’ve built up without going overboard. They now need to continue to improve instead of peaking in early January, as they seemed to do last season. After playing only two of their first eleven at home, the Hounds head back to Duluth for a busy week that includes a crosstown rival, a huge section game, and enigmatic but dangerous Eden Prairie.
This week: Tues at Duluth Denfeld, Thurs vs. Grand Rapids, Sat vs. Eden Prairie
6. Eagan (9-2-1)
-Slide back two spots through no real fault of their own; it’s tough to measure the Wildcats against the other teams in this top tier right now, as the others all have had several games against one another in recent weeks, while Eagan simply takes care of business against somewhat weaker teams. If they maintain their focus on that task, they’ll be back in the top five in no time. Their relatively easy stretch continues this week, though Lakeville North has shown they’re not a total pushover.
This week: Tues at Lakeville North, Sat vs. Eastview
7. Minnetonka (8-3-1)
-Idle this past week, but the Skippers move up a spot after Burnsville’s tough week. After a tune-up against Chanhassen, they’ll give their stout defense the toughest test it has faced all season when they take on Benilde. A win would go a long way towards correcting for that rough patch in late December.
This week: Thurs vs. Chanhassen, Sat at #3 Benilde-St. Margaret’s
8. Centennial (10-3)
-A narrow win over Elk River gives the Cougars yet another quality result. They get consistently outshot by the quality opponents they play, but great goaltending and timely scoring have been enough to make this group worthy of the top ten. Continued Northwest Suburban play gives them a chance to solidify this ranking, though similarly defensive-minded Andover could pose a challenge.
This week: Thurs vs. Anoka, Sat at Andover
9. Bloomington Jefferson (9-3)
-The Jaguars cleaned up against some of the weaker South Suburban teams, and attrition among the teams above them allows Jefferson to slide on up into the top ten. Up next: a major reality check against section foe Burnsville, plus a visit to unpredictable Lakeville South. I have my doubts about this team, so we’ll see what they can do now that the stakes are getting higher.
This week: Tues at #10 Burnsville, Sat at Lakeville South
10. Burnsville (6-6-1)
-Frustration abounds for the Blaze, as they lost narrowly to Edina and Prior Lake and are winless in their last four games. The Edina loss leaves them 0-10 with seven one-goal losses against the Hornets in the Kivihalme Era, which is painful, but it was a tight game that should give them some hope should they meet again in Sections. The Prior Lake loss, on the other hand, really muddies up spots 2-4 in the section, and the Blaze stay in the top ten only by virtue of their win over Blaine. It doesn’t get much easier this week either, as they play yet another key section game against Jefferson and visit Wayzata.
This week: Tues vs. #9 Bloomington Jefferson, Thurs at #4 Wayzata
11. Blaine (7-4-1)
-An ugly result against Duluth East raises further doubts about the Bengals, though they bounced back some with a solid win over Andover. They’re a deep squad, but they struggle to finish at times, and goaltending appears to be something of a concern. Their quest for a conference title gets under way in earnest this week, with a visit to contender Elk River on the docket.
This week: Thurs at #13 Elk River, Sat vs. Coon Rapids
12. Prior Lake (7-5)
-It was an up-and-down week for the Lakers; the loss to Eden Prairie was a mild setback, but they made up for it with a narrow win against section rival Burnsville that will help their positioning in 2AA. Both games were the tight defensive battles we’ve come to expect out of this squad, and they’ve shown they can hang with anyone. The schedule from here on out is noticeably easier, though there are still plenty of quality South Suburban opponents to challenge them; they’ll be comfortable favorites in all three games this week.
This week: Tues at Bloomington Kennedy, Thurs at Hopkins, Sat vs. Lakeville North
13. Elk River (8-6)
-A loss to Centennial does little to affect the Elks’ standing in the rankings. Right now, it looks like a theme Elks fans have become accustomed to in recent years—they put up fairly consistent, decent results against just about everyone, but have yet to take that next step out of the 10-15 range. A home game against Blaine this week could help them in that regard.
This week: Thurs vs. #11 Blaine, Sat at Osseo
14. Holy Family (7-3)
-Picked up two close wins against good-but-not-great Class A teams. Games like these don’t exactly scream “top 15,” but they have been fairly consistent within their small sample size, so we’ll rotate the Fire through the revolving door we’ve had in this part of the rankings. Only one game this week; their very back-heavy schedule finally gets going after that, as they have three games in four of the last five weeks of the regular season.
This week: Tues vs. Mound-Westonka
15. Moorhead (7-6-1)
-The Spuds have lost by fairly large margins to most of the top teams they’ve played, so there are decent reasons for not ranking them this high. However, they have been fairly steady, and they’ve taken care of business against weaker teams, which is something the four teams immediately below them, despite their high ceilings, have not managed. So we’ll keep the Spuds at #15 for now, and see what they can do against Class A power Breck this week.
This week: Thurs vs. Brainerd, Sat at Breck
The Next Ten
Eden Prairie (6-6-1)
-While it wasn’t a resounding statement, Eden Prairie’s overtime win over Prior Lake was a step in the right direction for a team that is trying to get it together. A few more games like that could have them right back in the thick of things, and a road trip north to face Duluth East and Cloquet this week offers something of an opportunity.
Grand Rapids (8-3-2)
-The tie against Cloquet isn’t a bad result, but it doesn’t do much to help the Thunderhawks’ standing, either. They’re struggling to generate much offensive zone time against top teams, and in some of their more important games, it seems as if their scoring revolves around Avery Peterson’s heroics. They’ll need more than that if they want to have success this week, when they pay visits to two of their northern nemeses, Hermantown and Duluth East.
Stillwater (7-4-1)
-The Ponies leap into the top twenty after thumping Mounds View this past week. They’ve been playing inspired hockey recently, and though they can’t entirely wipe away some of their sloppy early season results, continued success could have them threatening for a spot in the top 15. As it is they’ve put the rest of 4AA and the Suburban East on notice, and travel to Cretin for their only game this week.
Cloquet (9-4-1)
-A tie against Grand Rapids is a positive sign for the Jacks; their results ever since the Hopkins loss have been quite strong. A timely test against Eden Prairie this Friday will help tell us how real this progress is, and what we might expect in some of their big second-half games. They also face a decent Hibbing team.
Roseau (8-3-1)
-The Rams are quietly hitting their stride, having won five in a row and scoring goals with regularity, with Saturday’s 8-3 victory over Holy Angels being the most impressive of the bunch. They now settle into a long stretch of play against 8AA and 8A contenders, and lead off that string with a visit to archrival Warroad on Thursday.
Maple Grove (7-7)
-Cruised to wins over two Northwest Suburban bottom-feeders, and have now won four in a row. A game against Andover on Thursday will help sort out the second tier of the conference.
Lakeville South (6-6)
-A loss to Eastview keeps up the inconsistent theme for the Cougars; they seem capable of playing with the top teams on any given night, but they now have a couple of rough losses as well. They remain the class of 1AA, but they’ll need another big upset or two down the stretch to be considered a serious threat. They visit Jefferson this week.
Mounds View (8-2-2)
-Came crashing back to earth some with a 9-1 loss to Stillwater. The record is nice, but they have yet to prove much against any teams even mentioned in the rankings, and the loss is a serious setback for section seeding purposes, too. Suburban East play continues this week against Park and Hastings.
Andover (5-7)
-All of the losses are against good teams, but they are also mounting, and there haven’t been any real signs of improvement here. The offensive output has been anemic. The Huskies desperately need a positive result against Centennial and/or Maple Grove this week.
Eastview (8-5)
-The Lighting have taken their lumps, but they’ve also hung around in two losses to top ten teams, and also now have wins over both Lakevilles. They are probably the second-best team in 3AA at the moment.
Thanks for reading, and enjoy some of the quality games we have coming up this week.
1. Hill-Murray (11-1-1)
-It may be a messy set of rankings, and though the Pioneers are not a dominant #1, they are a very clear #1. They continue to do just enough, as was the case in this week’s overtime win over a depleted Edina team, and there is a lot to be said for steadiness. If there’s a shortcoming, it might be on defense; all of their defensemen are solid, but none of them seem to offer the offensive threat of someone like Blake Heinrich, their leader on the blue line last season. Their game with Wayzata this Saturday will be their last game against a top ten AA opponent this season.
This week: Tues vs. Mahtomedi, Sat at #4 Wayzata
2. Edina (11-3)
-#2 is not an easy spot to fill this week. I went with the Hornets for a few reasons: they’ve played a tough schedule, and their losses were all against very good teams. They did manage an important section win over Burnsville, and considering the players they were missing, there isn’t much shame in the Hill loss, either. Still, there are cracks in the walls. This team really needs to rediscover its offensive swagger; nine goals in the past five games is far too few for a team with this much talent. After Tuesday’s game, they have another fairly long stretch without a game.
This week: Tues at White Bear Lake
3. Benilde-St. Margaret’s (9-3)
-The Red Knights bounced back from the ugly loss to Wayzata last week with a solid win over the Trojans, restoring some order for the preseason favorites in 6AA. The defensive effort in particular was much stronger; now, the question is whether they can keep that going. We’ll find out in a hurry, as they play two huge games this week, one of which has major implications in the section.
This week: Thurs at St. Thomas Academy, Sat vs. #7 Minnetonka
4. Wayzata (11-2)
-Couldn’t back up the first win over Benilde, and since neither game was all that close, I decided to give more weight to the more recent win and slide the Red Knights back ahead of Wayzata. Harsh, perhaps, but aside from that one Benilde game, they aren’t winning in nearly as convincing a manner as some of the other top teams. They could easily change my opinion with a big week, as they face two more tests against top ten teams.
This week: Thurs vs. #10 Burnsville, Sat vs. #1 Hill-Murray
5. Duluth East (8-3)
-The Hounds rolled to two more authoritative wins over strong AA teams, presenting us with this week’s ranking dilemma: how high do you go with a team that has been on fire lately? I think this spot accurately reflects the momentum they’ve built up without going overboard. They now need to continue to improve instead of peaking in early January, as they seemed to do last season. After playing only two of their first eleven at home, the Hounds head back to Duluth for a busy week that includes a crosstown rival, a huge section game, and enigmatic but dangerous Eden Prairie.
This week: Tues at Duluth Denfeld, Thurs vs. Grand Rapids, Sat vs. Eden Prairie
6. Eagan (9-2-1)
-Slide back two spots through no real fault of their own; it’s tough to measure the Wildcats against the other teams in this top tier right now, as the others all have had several games against one another in recent weeks, while Eagan simply takes care of business against somewhat weaker teams. If they maintain their focus on that task, they’ll be back in the top five in no time. Their relatively easy stretch continues this week, though Lakeville North has shown they’re not a total pushover.
This week: Tues at Lakeville North, Sat vs. Eastview
7. Minnetonka (8-3-1)
-Idle this past week, but the Skippers move up a spot after Burnsville’s tough week. After a tune-up against Chanhassen, they’ll give their stout defense the toughest test it has faced all season when they take on Benilde. A win would go a long way towards correcting for that rough patch in late December.
This week: Thurs vs. Chanhassen, Sat at #3 Benilde-St. Margaret’s
8. Centennial (10-3)
-A narrow win over Elk River gives the Cougars yet another quality result. They get consistently outshot by the quality opponents they play, but great goaltending and timely scoring have been enough to make this group worthy of the top ten. Continued Northwest Suburban play gives them a chance to solidify this ranking, though similarly defensive-minded Andover could pose a challenge.
This week: Thurs vs. Anoka, Sat at Andover
9. Bloomington Jefferson (9-3)
-The Jaguars cleaned up against some of the weaker South Suburban teams, and attrition among the teams above them allows Jefferson to slide on up into the top ten. Up next: a major reality check against section foe Burnsville, plus a visit to unpredictable Lakeville South. I have my doubts about this team, so we’ll see what they can do now that the stakes are getting higher.
This week: Tues at #10 Burnsville, Sat at Lakeville South
10. Burnsville (6-6-1)
-Frustration abounds for the Blaze, as they lost narrowly to Edina and Prior Lake and are winless in their last four games. The Edina loss leaves them 0-10 with seven one-goal losses against the Hornets in the Kivihalme Era, which is painful, but it was a tight game that should give them some hope should they meet again in Sections. The Prior Lake loss, on the other hand, really muddies up spots 2-4 in the section, and the Blaze stay in the top ten only by virtue of their win over Blaine. It doesn’t get much easier this week either, as they play yet another key section game against Jefferson and visit Wayzata.
This week: Tues vs. #9 Bloomington Jefferson, Thurs at #4 Wayzata
11. Blaine (7-4-1)
-An ugly result against Duluth East raises further doubts about the Bengals, though they bounced back some with a solid win over Andover. They’re a deep squad, but they struggle to finish at times, and goaltending appears to be something of a concern. Their quest for a conference title gets under way in earnest this week, with a visit to contender Elk River on the docket.
This week: Thurs at #13 Elk River, Sat vs. Coon Rapids
12. Prior Lake (7-5)
-It was an up-and-down week for the Lakers; the loss to Eden Prairie was a mild setback, but they made up for it with a narrow win against section rival Burnsville that will help their positioning in 2AA. Both games were the tight defensive battles we’ve come to expect out of this squad, and they’ve shown they can hang with anyone. The schedule from here on out is noticeably easier, though there are still plenty of quality South Suburban opponents to challenge them; they’ll be comfortable favorites in all three games this week.
This week: Tues at Bloomington Kennedy, Thurs at Hopkins, Sat vs. Lakeville North
13. Elk River (8-6)
-A loss to Centennial does little to affect the Elks’ standing in the rankings. Right now, it looks like a theme Elks fans have become accustomed to in recent years—they put up fairly consistent, decent results against just about everyone, but have yet to take that next step out of the 10-15 range. A home game against Blaine this week could help them in that regard.
This week: Thurs vs. #11 Blaine, Sat at Osseo
14. Holy Family (7-3)
-Picked up two close wins against good-but-not-great Class A teams. Games like these don’t exactly scream “top 15,” but they have been fairly consistent within their small sample size, so we’ll rotate the Fire through the revolving door we’ve had in this part of the rankings. Only one game this week; their very back-heavy schedule finally gets going after that, as they have three games in four of the last five weeks of the regular season.
This week: Tues vs. Mound-Westonka
15. Moorhead (7-6-1)
-The Spuds have lost by fairly large margins to most of the top teams they’ve played, so there are decent reasons for not ranking them this high. However, they have been fairly steady, and they’ve taken care of business against weaker teams, which is something the four teams immediately below them, despite their high ceilings, have not managed. So we’ll keep the Spuds at #15 for now, and see what they can do against Class A power Breck this week.
This week: Thurs vs. Brainerd, Sat at Breck
The Next Ten
Eden Prairie (6-6-1)
-While it wasn’t a resounding statement, Eden Prairie’s overtime win over Prior Lake was a step in the right direction for a team that is trying to get it together. A few more games like that could have them right back in the thick of things, and a road trip north to face Duluth East and Cloquet this week offers something of an opportunity.
Grand Rapids (8-3-2)
-The tie against Cloquet isn’t a bad result, but it doesn’t do much to help the Thunderhawks’ standing, either. They’re struggling to generate much offensive zone time against top teams, and in some of their more important games, it seems as if their scoring revolves around Avery Peterson’s heroics. They’ll need more than that if they want to have success this week, when they pay visits to two of their northern nemeses, Hermantown and Duluth East.
Stillwater (7-4-1)
-The Ponies leap into the top twenty after thumping Mounds View this past week. They’ve been playing inspired hockey recently, and though they can’t entirely wipe away some of their sloppy early season results, continued success could have them threatening for a spot in the top 15. As it is they’ve put the rest of 4AA and the Suburban East on notice, and travel to Cretin for their only game this week.
Cloquet (9-4-1)
-A tie against Grand Rapids is a positive sign for the Jacks; their results ever since the Hopkins loss have been quite strong. A timely test against Eden Prairie this Friday will help tell us how real this progress is, and what we might expect in some of their big second-half games. They also face a decent Hibbing team.
Roseau (8-3-1)
-The Rams are quietly hitting their stride, having won five in a row and scoring goals with regularity, with Saturday’s 8-3 victory over Holy Angels being the most impressive of the bunch. They now settle into a long stretch of play against 8AA and 8A contenders, and lead off that string with a visit to archrival Warroad on Thursday.
Maple Grove (7-7)
-Cruised to wins over two Northwest Suburban bottom-feeders, and have now won four in a row. A game against Andover on Thursday will help sort out the second tier of the conference.
Lakeville South (6-6)
-A loss to Eastview keeps up the inconsistent theme for the Cougars; they seem capable of playing with the top teams on any given night, but they now have a couple of rough losses as well. They remain the class of 1AA, but they’ll need another big upset or two down the stretch to be considered a serious threat. They visit Jefferson this week.
Mounds View (8-2-2)
-Came crashing back to earth some with a 9-1 loss to Stillwater. The record is nice, but they have yet to prove much against any teams even mentioned in the rankings, and the loss is a serious setback for section seeding purposes, too. Suburban East play continues this week against Park and Hastings.
Andover (5-7)
-All of the losses are against good teams, but they are also mounting, and there haven’t been any real signs of improvement here. The offensive output has been anemic. The Huskies desperately need a positive result against Centennial and/or Maple Grove this week.
Eastview (8-5)
-The Lighting have taken their lumps, but they’ve also hung around in two losses to top ten teams, and also now have wins over both Lakevilles. They are probably the second-best team in 3AA at the moment.
Thanks for reading, and enjoy some of the quality games we have coming up this week.
just clinging on to that dream eh karl? good for you. I think reality will eventually set in though, even for you